The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has welcomed the extension of government’s R350 unemployment grant, but says that the funding should be extended into a more permanent form of support.<\/p>\n
In a national address on Wednesday evening (11 November), president Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the special Covid-19 grant will be extended for a further three months, until January 2021.<\/p>\n
This will provide much-needed income to around six million people who are unemployed and do not receive any other form of government grant, the president said.<\/p>\n
However, Cosatu said that this grant should be extended – echoing previous calls for a permanent basic income grant in South Africa.<\/p>\n
“We welcome the extension of the R350 long term unemployment grant. But this should be extended beyond January and form the basis for a basic income grant,” the trade federation said.<\/p>\n
The ANC has previously said that it will also look at the feasibility of introducing a basic income grant as part of a series of outcomes decided upon by its National Executive Committee (NEC).<\/p>\n